Darrin Lunde

From 1908 to 1933, the American Museum of Natural History launched more scientific field expeditions than at any other time in its existence. Sponsoring trips to Africa and Central Asia, the museum filled its halls with artifacts and an aura of adventure, underwritten by some of New York City’s most prominent men. In Palace of Deception, Darrin Lunde uncovers the complicated legacy of three iconic figures of the American Museum: President Henry Fairfield Osborn, the preeminent explorer Roy Chapman Andrews and Carl Akeley, the pioneering taxidermist who created so many of the museum’s most memorable exhibits. Palace of Deception traces the racially infused milieu which sought to enshrine the prevailing social hierarchy and examines the simmering anxieties about human origins that were the backdrop to a golden age of exploration.

A nonfiction guessing game that explores the connections between an animal, its tracks, and its habitat. Now as a board book Babies and toddlers will have fun making page-turn predictions and following the footprints of five featured animals. Written by a mammalogist at the Smithsonian, this clever preschool page-turner pairs five tracks with information about the animals' locomotion, asking kids to guess which animal left which tracks behind. Whose Footprint Is That? reveals the animals--ranging from flamingos to wallaroos--in their own habitats. Featured animals in Whose Footprint Is That? Mountain goatWallarooChimpanzeeFlamingoSnakeLittle learners will love this nonfiction guessing game book about animals, their footprints, and their habitats with perfect page-turn reveals

A nonfiction guessing game that explores the connections between an animal, its eggs, and its habitat. Now as a board book Babies and toddlers will have fun making page-turn predictions, and grown-ups will appreciate learning such eggcellent facts. Written by a mammalogist at the Smithsonian, this clever page-turner pairs five eggs with information about the animals' survival mechanisms, asking kids to guess which animal laid which egg. Featured animals in Whose Egg Is That? include: Emperor penguinSea turtleOstrichRobinDinosaurLittle learners will love this nonfiction guessing game book about animals, their eggs, and their habitats with perfect page-turn reveals

Winner of the inaugural Theodore Roosevelt Association Book Prize A captivating account of how Theodore Roosevelt's lifelong passion for the natural world set the stage for America's wildlife conservation movement and determined his legacy as a founding father of today's museum naturalism. No U. S. president is more popularly associated with nature and wildlife than is Theodore Roosevelt--prodigious hunter, tireless adventurer, and ardent conservationist. We think of him as a larger-than-life original, yet in The Naturalist, Darrin Lunde has firmly situated Roosevelt's indomitable curiosity about the natural world in the tradition of museum naturalism. As a child, Roosevelt actively modeled himself on the men (including John James Audubon and Spencer F. Baird) who pioneered this key branch of biology by developing a taxonomy of the natural world--basing their work on the experiential study of nature. The impact that these scientists and their trailblazing methods had on Roosevelt shaped not only his audacious personality but his entire career, informing his work as a statesman and ultimately affecting generations of Americans' relationship to this country's wilderness. Drawing on Roosevelt's diaries and travel journals as well as Lunde's own role as a leading figure in museum naturalism today, The Naturalist reads Roosevelt through the lens of his love for nature. From his teenage collections of birds and small mammals to his time at Harvard and political rise, Roosevelt's fascination with wildlife and exploration culminated in his triumphant expedition to Africa, a trip which he himself considered to be the apex of his varied life. With narrative verve, Lunde brings his singular experience to bear on our twenty-sixth president's life and constructs a perceptively researched and insightful history that tracks Roosevelt's maturation from exuberant boyhood hunter to vital champion of serious scientific inquiry.

Poop Ewwww No, don't say "Ewwww." Ask, "Whose poop is that?" This simple, and yes, charming book asks this question about seven examples of animal poop. By investigating visual clues, young readers can learn to identify the animal through its droppings. For instance, find a sample of poop with bits of bone and tufts of hair. Turn the page to learn it came from a fox Kelsey Oseid's illustrations are both accurate and beautiful. Backmatter includes further information about the poop and what scientists can learn from an animal's droppings. "A primer on poop and a guessing game, especially for those just beyond toilet training" -- Kirkus Reviews "Gross-out details will provoke glee...but kids will learn plenty about the variety and importance of animal waste, too" --Publisher's Weekly "As accessible to newly independent readers as it is to younger listeners" -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Sure to appeal to curious youngsters. Recommended for collections that can't get enough titles on poop" -- School Library Journal "The kid-friendly illustrations and matter-of-fact tone make this title an informative, rather than a gross-out, pick, though is certainly what will get kids reaching for the shelves" -- Booklist "Friendly and inviting to novice naturalists" -- Horn Book "What are you waiting for? Come get the "scoop on poop" " -- NSTA Recommends

Theodore Roosevelt, a Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History

My name is Bumblebee Bat. I may be small, but I'm a great flyer. I live in a secret cave with my brothers and sisters. Want to know more? Then open this book and fly with Bumblebee Bat into the night. A series of questions and answers introduce children to the life and habitat of the exotic and endangered Bumblebee Bat. Scientifically accurate illustrations make these exotic animals accessible to young readers. Back matter includes additional child-friendly facts.